You know the drill, but in case you don't: do a little write-up/scoring of the last game you beat. There's no restrictions on the format you use. Just let this be a diary for the games you finish, and use it however you see fit.

Have at it.

Last edited by jiggles on Mon Jan 02, 2017 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I thought this was excellent, a game that presents a poignant and touching story of a group of individuals trying to survive WWI, presented in a well-thought out art style and a genuinely touching narrative. Gameplay-wise there are moments where you have to find objects to use in other places in adventure game-style, some action sequences where you drive towards the screen having to dodge...things, and a couple of boss fights that make use of the throwing mechanic that crops up often. Also a few interesting puzzles that involve using you and the dog who ends up coming with you.

It has moments and scenes that highlight the horror and madness of war, some moments are funny and light-hearted and some are touching and emotional. It has this great almost Tintin-like visual style, and a great soundtrack of classical pieces and a moving original score. I'm probably not going to play it again, but I'm very glad I did, and it's something that Ubisoft should pay attention do and put out smaller games like this rather than the constant homogenisation of Watch_Dogs, AC and Far Cry.

I was gonna say that, too.. but then I remembered that both Sonic Boom and Thomas Is Alone have been taken down in the past six months. I now feel like a cross between more heat than light and Dark Dragon .

Might as well chuck in my games from the last thread as my effort to 52 in a year is still ongoing.Game 1: Monument ValleyI bought this on release for my iPad, but only played the first chapter. I always said I'd get back to it, but never did. Until yesterday, when faced with a day off and a level of laziness that made me not even want to get out of bed. I had my iPad on the nightstand, so I lifted it and started the game from the start. It was wonderful. Like a super-tactile echochrome. The only thing that really let it down for me is that the puzzles were almost non-existent. The only time I really had to stop and think about anything was on one of the very last screens. Perhaps the expansion will get my brain working a little harder, but for what it was, I had a great time. If you liked Windosill or echochrome you will like this.

Game 2: The Talos PrincipleThis came out of nowhere for me. The Swapper was one of my favourite games in recent years, so when I heard a game just came out that the writer of that worked on, it was an instant blind buy. And it was incredible. Simple puzzle concepts taken to extreme complexities, punctuated with some existential deep-thinking. The mix between cold, logical problem-solving and philosophical wonderings was perfect to keep the brain fatigue at bay. And now that the credits have rolled I feel like my world view has been genuinely altered. Powerful strawberry floating stuff.If you liked Portal or The Swapper you will like this.

Game 3: Super Mario 3D WorldI had this since Christmas 2013, but I shelved it at World 5 for whatever reason, so that's where I picked up from a couple of days ago. Isometric platforming is inherently imprecise, and limiting Mario's directional movement is a decision I'm still trying to understand, but this is nonetheless a wonderful package. The presentation is flawless, the game is brimming with ideas, and playing through it made me wonder why so few studios put this much effort in. I didn't finish everything, though. Left a few stars and stamps here and there, and didn't touch the bonus world. For now, I've had my fill of this cake. I'm content, and I'll save the last slice for some other time. Cat suit is OP as strawberry float, though.If you liked Super Mario World or Super Mario 3D Land you will like this

Game 4: Broken Age (Act 1)A day in my parents' house with only my laptop for company prompted me to pull this one off the backlog, as it's one of the few Steam games I have that works well with a trackpad and doesn't need a lot of grunt to run. I had a great time with it. The animation, writing, artstyle and voice acting made it a delight. I didn't want it to end, and I was a little disappointed when it did, because it wasn't so much throwing a twist at you as pulling something completely out of nowhere. I'm glad I sat on it for so long, though, because the wait for Act 2 won't be as awful now.If you liked The Secret of Monkey Island you will like this

Game 5: The Blackwell DeceptionMore classic Blackwell pointing and clicking. The Blackwell games are like a trashy, low-budget movie series that you can't help but secretly love. Entertainingly written as always, with a few more co-operative puzzles added to the usual sleuthing mix. I really enjoyed it, just like the others, but unfortunately the story went a little off the rails at the end, like the first game. Nice touch with the post-credits cliffhanger, though. I have the fifth (and final?) game in my Steam library already, so I'll probably get to that within the month.If you liked The Shivah you will like this

Game 6: Call of Duty: Advanced WarfareAnother year, another Call of Duty. This one looked like more of a generational jump than Ghosts, and it was a lot more fun to play too. The campaign throws an endless barrage of cool toys at you to play with (although game-breaking, so most don't show up in the multiplayer). However, the story is absolute garbage and the writing is awful. The Spacey turning heel and Atlas becoming panto-villains was just lazy, clumsy shite. Fan-fiction level writing. I've almost prestiged in the multi, though, and it's superb run-and-gun action. Most fun I've had with CoD multi in a good long while, and I'll keep playing throughout the year. If you liked Call of Duty: Black Ops you will like this

Game 7: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker192/192 treasures in the non-bonus stuff. I didn't go for most of the stamps because I kind of hated the way you couldn't see what you had to do until you'd finished the level once. Just felt like a thin way to lengthen the game. Not that I really think it needed lengthening, though. There was so much more than I was expecting! I had a great time with these little densely-packed levels. There were some low-points, and the gamepad stuff was a little clunky, but all in all, this was way better than an expanded minigame had any right to be. Hard to compare it to anything else out there, but:If you liked Pushmo/Pullblox, you will like this

Game 8: Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyFor the most part, I thought this was pretty great. Presentation was predictably flawless from Level 5, and the crossover plot was a lot of fun. Even their spin on trials (multiple-witness testimonies) was excellent, and hint coins in trials were a godsend for working out when the game wanted you to realise something you actually realised ages ago. But there were too many times the game introduced throwaway mechanics that you never saw again. And, my god, Level 5 have absolutely no idea how to end a game. It's always this long, drawn-out ordeal where you think things are about to wrap up, but you just get beaten into boredom by needless padding. And it didn't help that it was barely interactive. I only had to do like 6 things in the last 4 hours of the game. "You know, Professor, I feel like I've just finished reading a reeeeally long story." You and me both, Luke. If you liked Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton, you will like this (duh)

Game 9: Bayonetta 2I was a little disappointed in this. The thing I loved about Bayonetta was that (boss rush aside) it never seemed to run out of ideas. It just said "strawberry float it", put its foot on the throttle and never let up. This, on the other hand, played it very safe and felt like it was basically a retread of old ground. The gameplay was still exceptional, but it just didn't offer the same experience the original game did, yet still dragged along its worst qualities (unappealing characters, far too many cutscenes). Still can't fail to recommend it, though.If you liked Devil May Cry, you will like this

Game 10: Valiant Hearts: The Great WarBeautiful, poignant little game. I'm no history buff, so my knowledge of the first world war was limited at best. I was engrossed in all the facts and information the game presented, and suitably harrowed by it all. The gameplay was unimpressive but inoffensive adventure fare that demanded little more than working out the order to do things, but the rest of the package was so flawlessly presented that I couldn't help but keep playing. That score, man. Holy strawberry float.If you liked Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, you will like this.

Game 11: TransistorI had this sat half-finished since it came out, and went to go back to it last night. Couldn't remember a thing about it, so I started it from the beginning and nearly clocked it in a single sitting. The music is excellent, the artstyle very good, and the gameplay had some really bright ideas. Being able to tweak the difficulty and your abilities to your exact preferences was great, and I was a big fan of the combat system. But whole package felt a little half-baked. The brevity and linearity, coupled with the seriously under-developed setting, just made it feel rushed, and it seemed like it was trying a little too hard to be deep and artsy. The voice of the Transistor taking a dramatic pause every 5 words got really annoying by the end. (But on that, special mention must go to how the DualShock 4 lit up and spoke like the Transistor in-game. That was a masterstroke)If you liked Bastion, you will like this

Game 12: TeslagradI liked the artwork and animation. And having binary modes to flip-flop between in a puzzle platformer is something I love. But this game was like getting repeatedly punched in the balls over and over again. Utterly unforgiving, Teslagrad gives you no health bar, and makes everything a one-hit kill. It doesn't allow any mistakes, in a physics-based system where things have a tendency to respond in unpredictable ways. Ludicrous. Throw in some trial-and-error bosses, a stingy checkpointing system, and and a finale that forces you to backtrack through the whole game, checking every inch of every room for collectibles that until that point you believed were completely optional. It feels like some elaborate joke and I'm the punchline.If you like Outland and have complete disregard for your sanity, you will like this

Game 13: Halo 2 AnniversaryFinished on Normal. I've never played Halo 2 before, so it was all fresh, but I'd heard everyone say it was the weakest because of the Arbiter levels. Truth be told, though, I thought this was a good improvement on the first game. Fun, varied enemy types, with the Flood kept to a minimum. Add dual-wielding and faster regenerating shields, and the game was simply less of a chore. The copy/paste level design still shows its face here and there, but it's thankfully lessened. Standout negatives are probably that the trademark crazy physics can still frustrate, and even on Normal, it seemed difficult to solo, but I'll let it slide because it's over 10 years old. The first half was better than the second half, but I still had a good time throughout.If you like Resistance 3, you'll like this

Game 14: D4: Dark Dreams Don't DieWhat the hell did I just play? I can appreciate that it's bizarre. Being invited to take a peek into someone else's mind (when it clearly doesn't work at all like mine does) is certainly compelling. Compelling enough to keep me hooked to the "end", but it wasn't so much weird and wonderful as just weird. The entire first episode is spent building these interesting characters, before throwing it the strawberry float out the window for the second episode and just scribbling any old jibberish into the design doc. It's obviously unfinished, but when I think about it, would I care if it wasn't? Was I even enjoying it? I was anticipating it getting good throughout and it never felt like it hit its mark.If you like Deadly Premonition or Beyond: Two Souls, you'll like this

Game 15: Halo 3Now that's more like it. Halo 3 was actually the first game in the series I played, and that was followed by ODST, so I was disappointed in the first two games in the Master Chief Collection because they simply weren't up to the standard of those. My faith was a little shaken. Was Halo 3 even as good as I remembered? Hell yes, it was. And even better, now that I could comprehend the story, and it ran like a dream. The Cortana chapter wasn't even as bad as I'd remembered (though still the low-point). The only thing that let me down was the length. Could have done with being another two chapters longer, but it was totally action-packed with nary a reused section in sight. Still one of the greats.If you like Half-Life 2 you'll like this

Game 16: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney HDNot exactly doing favors for my backlog by finishing bad versions of games I've already finished before. The artwork and animation were a real let-down and the sound just didn't come off as well out of the iPad speakers as the DS ones. Plus, the text speed cues were all removed and the whole thing felt unresponsive as hell. With it being the only Ace Attorney game I've already beaten more than once, the story didn't really hold up all that well when I wasn't trying to figure stuff out. I was just going through the motions and was pretty bored the whole way through. But now it's out of the way I can move on to the others in the trilogy, which I barely remember now. One thing, though, I didn't do the Rise From The Ashes case. My only interest is to play through the original trilogy.If you like Danganronpa, you'll like this

Game 17: Grim Fandango RemasteredI'd only played through Grim Fandango once, almost 15 years ago now, so this felt pretty fresh. The voiceover work still stands, to this day, as among the greatest ever. And the story was wonderful. Some parts of the Remaster weren't so hot, though. I had a pretty buggy experience for the most part, and it was a little disappointing not to see the backgrounds given a makeover like the models. But still, it was better than playing the original version, and that's without touching the director's commentary or using the new control scheme. Some of the puzzles are showing their age in being so obtuse as to be unfair, but it's still a classic.If you like The Secret of Monkey Island, you'll like this

Game 18: Octodad: Dadliest CatchThere seems to be a trend of impossible-to-control physics-based games lately. The instant appeal is as obvious as it was the first time I tried QWOP. But after the first 10 minutes of giggling at the silliness, the appeal is lost and you're left just being frustrated at not being able to get from A to B because of the ridiculous controls. I'd rate Octodad as the best of the recent bunch, though. It's certainly more thought out as a game than the other titles, and the Chicken Boo storyline contextualizes the mayhem in a way that keeps it funny for longer than it should. It was super-short, but pretty fun in all. The credits rolled and I was a little underwhelmed, but then I played the extra Dad Romance chapter and caught myself grinning throughout, so maybe the idea has (ahem) legs.If you like I Am Bread or Surgeon Simulator 2013, you'll like this

Game 19: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DFirst time through OoT, and actually the first 3D Zelda I've ever beaten. It was a level design masterclass, for the most part, though mechanically it's showing its age. The camera was a mess, the lock-on as frustrating as it was helpful, and having to juggle items in and out is still needless busywork. And while I would have loved the minimal signposting back when this first came out, as a grown man with only an hour or two here and there to play, the few times I had no idea where to go next wasn't exactly a fun use of my time. But that combat, man. So satisfying. The 3DS version looked great too, regardless of how old the game is, and the 3D effect was consistently excellent. I had a blast, and can't wait to play Majora's Mask.If you like Darksiders, you'll like this

Game 20: The Order 1886Obvious stuff out of the way first. The game isn't very long, and there's little replay value. It isn't worth full price on that alone. It looks gorgeous, but the gameplay is unexceptional. That's not to say it's bad, it's actually very good. It just doesn't really do anything new or interesting. The gameplay doesn't stand out, is what I'm trying to say. It's the same big-budget cover shooter game you've played dozens of times in the last generation. I went in expecting to have a bad time. I was never hyped for this game. I just wanted to churn through, admire the pretty visuals, and get it traded in while I could still make a profit. But, to my surprise, I loved every strawberry floating minute of it, and I really hope it gets a sequel. Just don't buy it at the current price.If you liked Gears of War or Heavenly Sword, you'll like this

Game 21: The Last of Us RemasteredI'd played the original PS3 release with Left Behind already, so I'd done all this before. The up-res and frame rate improvements were much appreciated, though the downside is perhaps that some of the environmental geometry doesn't hold up now that it's being viewed in sharprer focus. I tried the played the main campaign on Hard, which provided the perfect challenge, but it was a little stressful, so I put it back to Normal for Left Behind. Special mention goes to the multiplayer, which is surprisingly brilliant (never tried it on PS3). When the Remastered version came out, I started by dipping my toes in that, and ended up not going back to the SP until this week. One of the best, most well-rounded games of the last decade.If you liked Telltale's The Walking Dead or Uncharted, you'll like this

Game 22: Rayman LegendsWhen Rayman Origins came out, I thought it was pretty cool. Rayman Legends being announced as a Wii U exclusive was actually one of the things to sway me in to buying the console at launch. Of course, things didn't turn out that way, and I sort of forgot about it until it came through my door on Saturday from my rental list. I wasn't really in the mood to start something else from scratch with so many "in progress" games in my pile, but curiosity got the better of me and I popped the disc in. I couldn't put it down after that. This game, guys. Holy gooseberry fool. So gorgeous, with amazing character and level design and near-endless variety. I haven't seen a game this well made in years, and with a seriously generous amount of content. Now, I don't doubt this is mostly due to the lengthy post-production period Ubisoft forced upon Ancel's team, but given their recent output, maybe this is the answer? Anyway, I loved this. Definitely the best game on Wii U and maybe the best platformer I've ever played.If you like Super Mario World, or Rayman Origins you'll like this

Game 23: Last Window: The Secret of Cape WestI remember Hotel Dusk as a flawed experience. It was so fresh that it was really enjoyable for the first few chapters, but when the novelty wore off the game just became a slog, then a chore. And by the end, I kind of questioned whether I'd enjoyed it at all. It's been ages since I played it, so imagine my surprise when I discover that there was a sequel I had no idea about. And sure enough, the first few chapters I'm in love, and by the end I'm wondering why the hell I even bothered. Now, the storytelling is among the most mature in any game, but the story itself is just boring garbage. By about chapter 8 I was thinking that if this were a film it wouldn't have lasted even 2 hours without cutting a single bit of the experience. Kyle Hyde is an asshole, and his neighbors seem oblivious. The puzzles are contrived bollocks and the "gotcha" game overs are just terrible. What was I thinking.If you liked Hotel Dusk, you'll like this

Game 24: Mortal Kombat XTruth be told, I wasn't terribly excited to play this. I loved MK9 to bits, but when this was announced I thought that a flashier version of the same thing wasn't necessary, so I tuned out completely from all the pre-release coverage. I saw it picked up some good scores, and saw it available on PC for less that £20, so I thought, "why not?". strawberry float. ME. I had severely underestimated how good this would be. The story was a blast of nonsensical comic-book fun and I wasn't expecting so many new characters, let alone for almost all of them to be great. Cassie Cage has probably shot straight to being my favourite of the whole damn series. Sure, it doesn't have the depth and longevity of something like Street Fighter in multiplayer, but I'll be damned if this isn't the greatest single-player fighting game of all time.If you liked MK9 or any superhero movie, you'll like this.

Figured I'd try this out as it was in this months Playstation Plus selection and I could recall a rather gushing review about it that got a perfect score somewhere. Safe to say I didn't agree with that. While the game itself is alright, for the most part it merely struck me as competent at what it did, rather than offering anything special. It wasn't helped by a couple of sections late in the game where it's either unclear what you're supposed to do in order to progress. The little videos you unlock about the Inuit culture are somewhat interesting but if that's your bag you'd probably be better off buying a book about it instead.

Figured I'd try this out as it was in this months Playstation Plus selection and I could recall a rather gushing review about it that got a perfect score somewhere. Safe to say I didn't agree with that. While the game itself is alright, for the most part it merely struck me as competent at what it did, rather than offering anything special. It wasn't helped by a couple of sections late in the game where it's either unclear what you're supposed to do in order to progress. The little videos you unlock about the Inuit culture are somewhat interesting but if that's your bag you'd probably be better off buying a book about it instead.

[6]

The Reviewer who gave it a 10/10 was an inuit himself and knew the devs.

Metroid Prime 2. Finished it with 83% in the end as I decided against scouring the world for every last item. Really good stuff but I think the first may be a slightly tighter, better experience. But only just. Think I'll finish a couple more games before I start 3. Don't want to get fatigued with the same style of game.

If I’m honest, I’m probably marking a point higher because it’s Zelda but overall, I really loved this. It doesn’t beat OOT, MM or WW for me but I’d certainly put it infront of TP. While I initially felt a bit of disappointment in how different the overworld felt compared to other 3D Zeldas-it does feel like it lacks “life” and doesn’t feel like a coherent world, I soon got past that and accepted it for what it is. The dungeons were really strong (even by Zelda’s standards) and there were some fantastic puzzles in there (although it was perhaps guilty of overusing the best ones). I thought the visual style was exceptionally executed and meant the game holds up regardless of the lower definition graphics. Plus the music score was of the usual high standards. The story and characters were great for the most part, and I enjoyed how they explained the origins of key things in Zelda timeline. It does have its flaws for sure-the controls could be very frustrating at times, I found the stamina bar extremely annoying and still can’t see the point of it. And using the Wii controls ranged from the sublime to the horrendous. There was also poor pacing in parts with completely unnecessary padding in a game with more than enough content anyway. Fortunately, the re-use of areas for the most part was done very well. A solid 40 odd hours of Zelda overall.

This is a walking simulator that makes Dear Esther seem like a kids TV programme in terms of depth of thought and exposition. An artistically and visually stunning experience that is both tantalizingly intriguing and also slightly repellent in just how deep and abstract it is. The main character monologues about dreams, reality and philosophy while exploring a strange, dreamlike world with plenty, and I mean PLENTY of discoverable texts that embellish his strange surroundings.

It's not really a game per se, more an interactive philosophical text. The notes that allude to warring factions clearly represent different schools of thought relating to the subjective foundations of truth and the nature of reality and dreams through exploring a 3d environment. Its absolutely fascinating, but I am unlikely to plumb its depths further.

I enjoyed seeing the cast of Personage 4 again. I liked the new art style, simpler, less detailed but it suited the small 3DS screen well. They could have done a little more with the 3D: cutscenes werd 2D, dungeons might as well had been, only with soms of the larger enemies did the effect really pop. This was not a big issue though.

I liked drawing the maps, maybe I should try an EO game next. The puzzles were fantastic, some real head scratchers. The overall difficulty was judged well (I played on normal) though sometimes I got frustrated with outrunning the FOEs. I have checked Gamefaqs a couple of times. But that was mostly due to my impatience (and the limited game time I have nowadays), not to poor design.

Dialogs were OK, sometimes a bit long and repetitive. Yeah, I get it, people change through meeting other people. It was never so bad that it got irritating though. Towards the end the story became very touching, more than I would have expected based on the characterisation earlier in the game.